Bike Fair

Wiki Etiquette: Wikis were designed from day one for anarchic, decentralized, collaborative document development. If you are a Bike Saviours fan, please feel free to create an account and start editing. Just one request - use your real FirstnameLastname as your account name, eg: "RobertBushman," so we can track document revisions and ask for more info where needed. I'm also happy to set up and administer a wiki for Bike Saviours to own, if desired.

Elevator Pitch: Bike Saviours will hold a Bike Fair to draw cyclists from the community, similar to a parking lot car show. We will have a tune-up station where volunteer mechanics will provide a 10 minute quick-tune; clean and lube the chain, adjust the derailleurs and brakes, and do a safety inspection. We will have a Bike Bling station, where we will sell bike bells, bags, lights, bottles & cages, and spoke wraps. We will have a bike show with awards for Oldest, Weirdest, Crowd Favorite, Best-in-Show, and more. We will have a "Participate" station where people can donate, learn more about volunteering, or inquire about becoming a benefactor.

PR/FAQ

A PR/FAQ is a type of document where I work that is used to propose new projects. The PR part is a hypothetical Press Release, which presents the project as though it had been successfully completed and we were submitting a story to the New Times or AZ Republic. The goal is to focus on what would make patrons happy by writing the press release that would make them happy to read afterwards.

The second part is an FAQ that explores the "How" as a series of questions that a board member, staff member, or volunteer might ask when reading the Press Release. The goal of the FAQ is to document the required resources and steps to success. It is important to be skeptical and critical when developing and reviewing the FAQ to ensure that gaps are exposed and filled.

Press Release

Bike Saviours Monthly Bicycle Fair

On Sunday, [Mid-Oct TBK (To Be Known)], Bike Saviours hosted the first in a monthly series of bicycle fairs to bring cyclists together, provide free tune-ups, and let folks show off their favorite bikes.

Bicyclists arrived at Bike Saviours to find stations set up outside where they could get a tune-up and learn how to keep their bike running smoothly. Dozens of other cyclists from the community brought weird and wonderful bikes from classic restorations to tall bikes, modern race machines, and cargo carriers. There were even members of the Tempe Police Bicycle Squad on hand showing off their working rides and sharing their fondness for cycling.

Getting into bicycling is easy, but lots of folks with bicycles don't know how to maintain them. Even those who do may have trouble with some of the more complex bits like adjusting the derailleur to get quick, clean shifts. And most of us put off cleaning and lubricating the drivetrain longer than we should.

Long-time volunteers and newcomers to Bike Saviours joined forces to provide free tune-ups as the core draw to the event. Patrons loaned shade structures, bike stands, repair stands, and tool kits for the event, with Bike Saviours providing degreaser, lubricant, and skilled volunteer mechanics. As part of their community outreach program, the Tempe Police Bicycle Squad was on hand to build bridges and provide info about bicycle safety. And avid cyclists from across the valley brought their favorite rides to show off.

Tempe City Council Member [TBK] was excited about this new community event. She said, "[TBK: There should be a real quote here from contacting an actual Tempe City Council member. The council member might note the alignment between Bike Saviours and the city of Tempe. The council member might want to talk about their personal love for bicycles, but also about how cycling makes Tempe a better city. They could also mention the efforts Tempe has been making to improve the multi-use trails.]"

Local cyclists brought their bikes to the fair, learned how to do a quick tune up and found their bikes running smoother with nice crisp shifts. Some stopped by the bling station to add a bell, lights, or a bike bottle. Fourteen people signed up for volunteer orientation, Bike Saviours received more than $300 in donations, and they sold $900 worth of bicycle upgrades.

One happy attendee captured the feel of the community, "I really enjoyed the Bike Fair! I talked to a bunch of other bikers and got some tips on how I could learn to use clipless pedals. They cleaned up my chain and I learned how to set my derailleur stops so I won't keep throwing my chain. Really awesome event - and it was nice to see that the City of Tempe was involved!"

Best of all, this is a monthly event. If you would like to attend next time, or if you want to get involved, you can get more info from https://www.bikesaviours.org/ . If you were there and had a great time, tell your friends and bring them along next time. Let's make this a big Tempe tradition!

FAQ

How will we staff this event?

The shop will be staffed as normal on a Sunday, though we should consider whether we should offer fewer repair reservations on Bike Fair day. Would that be a net win or loss for Bike Saviours' mission?

Existing volunteers will be encouraged to participate, and we should expect higher than usual engagement - at least at first when the event is a novelty.

First time volunteers should be recruited through our existing volunteer network, encouraging them to reach out to their cyclist friends. This is a great way to do a one-time trial, helping out Bike Saviours, in a festive context.

We will begin the recruiting significantly in advance of the event, and adjust the scale of the Bike Fair according to volunteer engagement. To some extent this will self-regulate - one of the tasks for new volunteers will be drumming up event attendees by flyering or posting on social media. The more new volunteers we attract, the more workers we will have, and the wider the word will spread.

We can also shore up volunteer resolve by suggesting a format for social media posts along the lines of, "I'm going to be working at the Bike Saviours Bike Fair on Sunday! Bring your bike and meet me there; there's going to be a bike show and they'll have people doing free tune-ups!"

Be sure to factor in setup and tear-down time. If the Bike Fair will run from 12:00 to 4:00, for example, it would make sense to have setup start at 10:00 and teardown scheduled until 6:00.

What benefactor resources are required?

We will need shade structures (10x10 EZ-Ups will do the trick), bicycle parking stands, bicycle repair stands, camp tables, and buckets. We will need a more detailed plan on the exact requirements for the number of stations we intend to have (which will be directly correlated to the scale of volunteer response).

Tools? Should Bike Saviours provide the tools or should we encourage benefactors and volunteers to lend them?

I (Bob B) intend to provide race racks (see under Experience below), one ez-up, one repair stand, and one set of bicycle tools.

We will need a sign-up sheet to track volunteer engagement including working hours and equipment loans.

What Bike Saviours resources are required?

By far the biggest Bike Saviours resources are the parking lot and the insurance (if needed). Getting approval for a public event like this can be a smooth process, but all the i's need to be dotted and all the t's need to be crossed if we want to keep City of Tempe, our Landlord, and our fellow tenenants on our side.

In addition, we need to sort out things like degreaser, lube, electricity, and water.

It would also be nice for Bike Saviours to partner with a local bar (Boulders?) so we could have a post-fair ride with some tasty cold beverages at the end.

What 3rd party resources are required?

Port-a-potty(s): there may be a city requirement for these, and we may want them even if not. They are about $200 each, with delivery and pickup, I think.

Food truck?

How will we court the approval of the landlord?

This is a side benefit for getting the Tempe Police Bicycle Squad involved. If we can say there will be police on-site it will make the landlord more comfortable.

We will have to talk to the Landlord about using the parking lot for this purpose. They will want to know when it will happen and have an estimate of the number of cars and people we expect. They will also want to know about our teardown, clean-up, leave-no-trace plan.

They may also want us to have some kind of event rider on our insurance policy.

How will we court the approval of the City of Tempe?

We will contact the Mayor's office, and the offices of the Tempe City Council members. Prior to making contact, we should do two things: 1. Poll our staff, board, volunteers, and patrons to see if we have an existing contact. 2. Look at public records and find out if the Mayor or any council members are cyclists or have advocated for cycling issues.

We will contact the Tempe Police Bicycle Squad to invite their participation. This will kill multiple birds with one stone. It will show the city that we are actively seeking to make this an orderly affair. It will provide us with free security. And we can advertise it in our flyers to prevent the event from getting too rowdy. (not that I don't have a certain fondness for rowdy events, but I'd rather not host one)

Of note, Tempe is already super on-board with bicycling.

• In 2019, the League of American Bicyclists redesignated Tempe a Gold-Level Bicycle Friendly Community. With nearly four percent of Tempe residents biking to work, Tempe has one of the highest percentages of bicycle commuters in the country. Because of the support from the Tempe City Council, Arizona State University, the community and non-profit organizations like the Tempe Bicycle Action Group, Tempe is one of the leading bike communities in the country with 217 miles of bikeways. Each April, Tempe holds Bike to Work Day which includes free food snacks and giveaways.

How will we maximize volunteer satisfaction?

I think this goes to a larger question of energizing the volunteer base. For me, the main motivator is doing good - if we can make that sense of being pro-social overflow, I'm happy as a puppy with a slipper. Others may have other goals. I recently surveyed some of our volunteers about social media use. I will do similar with "What makes you love volunteering at Bike Saviours? What is the less enjoyable part and how can we make it better?"

How will we court benefactors?

We will reach out to affluent community members who are avid cyclists and ask them to support the event. This can include shade structures (EZ-Ups), repair stands, tool kits, sponsoring port-a-potties, a generator, &c. Who wouldn't want to sponsor the "Jane and William Feifer memorial port-a-potty"?

To encourage larger contributors, we should survey potentials and ask them what would make contributing to the event feel good. Do they want recognition by name? A T-Shirt or other exclusive schwag? To be brought up on stage for a round of applause? To give a brief speech during the event? A commemorative set of mugs? A tote bag and bike bottle? Pre-event brunch at Postino? What would makee them feel appreciated?

Of course, we also need to ask whether benefactors - and particularly any special treatment of them - is aligned with the co-op nature of Bike Saviours. It may be that this is an egalitarian organization and special treatment for benefactors would be anathema to our culture.

How will we draw patrons to the event?

Cyclists from the community, eager to learn about bicycle maintenance, are the most important folks for us to focus on. It is our mission to serve these people and they are the primordial soup from which our future volunteers, donors, and benefactors are drawn. They also act as the social media foundation that extends our message out into the community and provides credibility to our social mission. Finally, they are the reason many of our volunteers are here; to do good in the world by spreading the love of cycling and helping people leave their cars behind and embrace these delightful machines. In short, it is impossible to overstate the value of serving our patrons who come to learn about cycling.

As has already been alluded to, the main draw for cyclists is the opportunity to participate in a professional tune-up with a skilled mechanic showing them the ropes. The first time a person looks at a rear derailleur it can seem virtually magical in its operation. We will help to demystify these machines while embracing the mechanical beauty that they embody.

This will also be an opportunity for people to express their own love of their machines. I have five bikes whose total value is far below the nicest bike one of my friends owns. But I love them all and can tell you in detail why each one is a truly excellent bicycle. People take great pride in their rides and we can provide a venue for them to dwell on the joy they feel when they talk about their bicycle.

And finally it is a social nexus. Between COVID, the waning of religion, and the fomenting of hostility in social media, the world has become substantially less social than it was only a few years ago. In this event we can put aside all the other nonsense and focus on a topic without philosophical or ideological boundaries. Who doesn't love riding a bicycle?

Appendices

Experience

Example Bike Rack

Drive-in guests will find signs directing them to the car parking area. They will unload their bike(s) and follow signs to the bicycle parking area.

Bike-in guests will proceed directly to bicycle parking, and hang their bike on a race rack.

EZ-Up shade structures will identify the main attractions: Tune-up Station, Participation Station, Bike Bling Station.

Tune Up Station

Ez-up

Volunteer will work with you to perform a 10-minute tune-up on your bike. Clean the chain, adjust the derailleurs, adjust the brakes, safety inspection, lube the chain.

We should be careful to manage expectations. Some bicycles will have deeper problems than we can address in quick tune-up. In such cases we should focus on providing information on what the problem is and some alternatives for addressing it.

Equipment: 1 10x10 Canopy, 1 Volunteer, 1 Service Stand, 1 Table, 1 Set Tools, 1 Set Chemicals, 1 Banner, 4 5-Gallon Jugs (canopy ballast), 4 Corner Boards, 1 Donation Jar

Participation Station

Volunteer will talk with you about the ways you can participate in Bike Saviours' mission (possibly also affiliates like TBAG). We will encourage people to volunteer, donate, or take information about becoming a benefactor.

Those interesting in participating can donate, open a dialog about being a benefactor, or sign up for volunteer orientation.

You can also learn about Build-a-Bike, which will direct you to stop by the garage door to look in to the shop where people with appointments are working on their bikes.

Equipment: 1 10x10 Canopy, 2 Volunteers, 2 Tables, Promo Materials, 1 Donation Jar, 1 Donation POS, 1 Sign-Up POS, 1 Banner, 4 5-Gallon Jugs (canopy ballast), 4 Corner Boards

Bike Bling Station

Volunteer will sell you bells, bags, bottles, bottle cages, lights, spoke-wraps, and other things to bling your ride. We will have basic tools available so you can install them on-site.

Equipment: 1 Canopy, 1 Volunteer, 1 Service Stand, 1 Set Tools, 2 Tables, 1 Sales POS, 1 Donation Jar, 1 Banner, 4 5-Gallon Jugs (canopy ballast), 4 Corner Boards

Other Possibilities

Auction

Big ticket items could be put on sale via silent or loud auction.

Bike Sale

Ready-to-Rides could be on display for sale.

Bike Show

We could have judges and offer voter forms. People can submit votes for their favorite bike. Judges will give awards for Prettiest, Oldest, Weirdest, People's Choice, Best-in-Show, etc.

Bike Rodeo

Show off your skills: Flatland Freestyle, Skinnies, Wheelie, Manual, Stoppie, Backwards, Slalom.

Chain Waxing

Hot dip waxed chains are awesome, but it is too much hassle for a single chain. But if you're assembly lining a bunch of chains, it becomes super cost-effective.

See Also: https://old.reddit.com/r/BikeSaviours/comments/plba2t/check_out_rchainwaxing_for_an_interesting_way_to/

Metal "Hang Tags": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L33TKJ3

Paraffin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YXBHJFF

Molybdenum Powder: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WL86L2M

PTFE Powder: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084VNXNMK

https://cyclingtips.com/2020/08/how-to-wax-a-chain-an-endless-faq/

"Want it to be faster? Use five grams of pure PTFE (Teflon) and one gram MoS2 (molybdenum disulfide) powder and mix it in with 500 grams of paraffin wax."

"If efficiency isn’t important to you, then you can simply use pure food-grade paraffin wax by itself. Expect such a thing to give up approximately 0.7 W (at 250 W, 90 RPM) compared to a product like Molten Speed Wax. That slight increase in friction will also likely coincide with an increase in chain wear – although the exact difference will likely be negligible."

Exhibitors

There may be synergistic exhibitors who would like to set up a canopy.

Tempe Bicycle Action Group (TBAG): Find out who they are and what they do. Donate, sign up, find out about group rides, etc.

Tempe/ASU Bicycle Police: There have been occasional tensions between police and social activists, this can be an opportunity to lower walls and build bridges through a common appreciation for bicycles. Police could show off their patrol bikes. They could give info on bicycle registration. They could answer questions about cycling at night, on roads, bike lanes, and multi-use trails. Offer info on e-Bike and other alternative vehicle regulations. Offer info on public services for cyclists, like repair stations and the bike park at Papago. Plus, pragmatically speaking, it may be easier to sell the city, landlords, and fellow tenants on the event if they know there will be police presence.

Food & Beverage

Easy: Packaged, shelf-stabilized snack food.

Hard: Food Truck

Bike Education Station

Show a dismantled bicycle, show how a derailleur works, show how bearings are packed, etc.

Maybe just set up a screen with Park Tool videos on repeat list.

Show how e-bike conversion kits are installed on traditional bicycles.

Iterative Development

MVP

This could be approached as an iterative exploration of community interest. We could start with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Something as minimal as a single shade canopy in the parking lot with a tune-up stand, that also serves as an information point. The attendant could take the opportunity to perform an informal survey, gauging the needs and interests of the cyclists who stop by. It would also act as a beta test of the concept: Can we do 10 minute tune-ups? Will the bikes we see benefit from them, or will they be such basket cases that we can't really help? How will we do on donations? Will we acquire any volunteers?

Anecdotal Evidence

Today (2021-08-29) at Bike Saviours, I helped a woman who had a thumb injury and couldn't do much of the work on her bike. I did most of the work of installing a new chain, adjusting the derailleurs, and adjusting the brakes. I was pretty clumsy about it - if I knew the sequence of steps by heart and which way to turn which adjuster, I could have gone much faster. It took about 25 minutes to get everything working right. It really should be re-cabled - especially the rear derailleur - but it left in a lot better shape than when it came in.

Crowd-Sourcing

Reach out to friends and ask them to help as a personal favor, to help test the concept. Folks might have canopies we can use, bike stands, tools, and may be willing to volunteer.

Promotion

1. Bike Flyers: Go around Tempe to wherever bicycles accumulate and flyer the bicycles.
2. Social Media: Post on the Bike Saviours site, email list, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Tell followers to comment, like, and subscribe.
3. Word of Mouth: Talk to everyone. Tell everyone to talk to everyone else.
4. Event Boards: Post to event boards: On Campus, City of Tempe, New Times, AZ Republic
5. Affiliates: Post to Heatsync Labs, TBAG, etc.

Sponsorship

1. Corporate: Ask corporations to sponsor prizes for the Bike Show or Bike Rodeo.
2. City of Tempe: Ask the city council for port-a-potties, signage, or whatever else they can help with.

Costs

• Port-a-Potty: $200/unit (rental)
• 10x10 EZ-Up (Heavy Duty): $200 (purchase)
• Square POS
  • Square Stand (POS): $169 + iPad (should be able to crowd source - Bob has a few, not sure if any are supported models)
  • Square Reader: $78 + cell phone
  • Square Terminal: $299
• 4' x 5' Canvas Dropcloth: $6
  • to prevent stains in the parking area from drivetrain smut
  • https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0098WFKWO
• Race Rack Bike Stand
  • 2" x 10' EMT: $36.98 at Home Depot
  • 1/2" x 5' EMT: $4.22 x 4 = $16.88
  • $60 each, all in with tax.
  • Needs precision drilling, which I can do.
• PA System
  • Bob B can bring one. Just need a place to plug in (or I can bring a generator).